About this fix

Previously I had my microwave on a power strip, but when I'm done using it I'm usually much more interested in consuming what comes out of it than in turning the power strip off.

So I decided to try to find/make a device where the strip would shut off some set time after it is turned on. Since I usually use my microwave for a short amount of time, having the strip turn off say 20 minutes after being turned on would save me from having to remember to turn it off.

I found a device which does sort of what I want. It is the 60 minute Intermatic Auto Shutdown Timer (FD60MC) link It is designed to mount into a wall however. Since I'm renting, and don't currently feel like messing with the wall I instead decided to mount it onto a power strip.

With some slight modification to the power strip and timer I mounted them together (pictures to come). I set up the wiring so that the timer is in series with the switch in the power strip. This means that if either the power strip is off or the timer is off, the outlets are disabled. The setup could be made to be in parallel if there was a need to override the timer (but this would sacrifice the protection gained from the power strip).

One nice thing about this particular timer is that it is entirely mechanical. No electricity is used by the timer.

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